ESW Appoints Former WHSmith CEO Carl Cowling to Lead Global Expansion

Cowling succeeds Eric Eichmann, who departs after a three-year tenure marked by the integration of the Full Commerce platform and a strategic pivot toward agentic commerce. Board Chairperson Marc Pontet credited Eichmann with building a robust foundation, noting that Cowling’s background as a retailer provides the necessary discipline to scale operations across the company’s 200-market footprint.

For his part, Cowling views the move as an opportunity to apply his experience from the brand side of the partnership. His immediate agenda focuses on refining the company’s investment strategy and deepening client value. With the retail landscape shifting toward more automated, agentic purchasing models, Cowling intends to prioritize direct feedback from colleagues and enterprise clients to sharpen the company’s execution in high-priority global markets.